PARIS (Reuters) – Holidaymakers may deplore the wet weather in France this summer but the silver lining to all those cloudy days at the beach may eventually be a good to “exceptional” year for French wine.

Many wine experts say only the return of heavy rain, storms, hail or locusts in the latter part of the growing season will interrupt what appears to be a harvest set to benefit from some unusual weather this year.

PARIS (Reuters Life!) – A group of southern French monks adhere strictly to the centuries-old rules of their monastery as they pray and work in a small community. But with modern marketing techniques they are lifting the wines they make to must-have items on exclusive tables in France and abroad.

The 20 or so monks of the Lerins Abbey on a small island in the Mediterranean near Cannes make about 30,000 bottles of wine per year, in between their regular religious duties.

BORDEAUX (Reuters) – In the shadow of the big Vinexpo wine and spirits industry fair here last month, a group of international wine-makers gathered to promote wines that go against the mega-commercial trend to sell ever larger uniform quantities to big markets such as the United States or the growing markets of China and Russia.

Under the banner “Return to Terroir” several vintners presented their wines, made according to biodynamic growth rules and in small quantities, in the Bordeaux theatre as a fringe event to the Vinexpo in big halls outside of the city.

BORDEAUX, France (Reuters Life!) – The 30th international wine and spirits fair in Bordeaux opened this week with participants hoping for much better order books than the relative wash-out of two years ago in the midst of economic crisis.

While financial turmoil in Europe and other regions still depresses consumer sentiment, wine-makers expect much from the rising demand of emerging market economies and in particular countries such as China as buyers and trade representatives walk the long halls of the Vinexpo trade fair, held every two years.

“J&J has a large marketing and sales operation which will be
available to Crucell and allow us to compete…with our rivals
that are backed by or part of big pharma,” Crucell Chief
Executive Robert Brus told a shareholders meeting on Friday.

Almost 2,000 people have declared themselves this year victims of sexual and physical abuse while they were minors in the care of the Roman Catholic Church in the Netherlands, an independent commission said on Thursday.
(Photo: Wim Deetman, 1 Jan 2006/Roel Wijnants)

The investigation into abuses dating back to 1945 shows that the Netherlands ranks second worst behind Ireland for known cases in scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church in Europe and the United States. The church-appointed commission’s findings were requested by the Dutch bishops’ conference after cases surfaced involving paedophile priests in the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Germany and other countries.

THE HAGUE (Reuters) – Almost 2,000 people have declared themselves victims of sexual and physical abuse while they were minors in the care of the Roman Catholic Church in the Netherlands, an independent commission said on Thursday.

The investigation into abuses dating back to 1945 shows that the Netherlands ranks worst behind only Ireland in a scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church in Europe and the United States. It has also forced Pope Benedict to apologise to victims of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests.

THE HAGUE (Reuters) – Almost 2,000 people have declared themselves victims of sexual and physical abuse while they were minors in the care of the Roman Catholic Church in the Netherlands, an independent commission said Thursday.

The investigation into abuses dating back to 1945 shows that the Netherlands ranks second worst behind Ireland in a scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church in Europe and the United States. It has also forced Pope Benedict to apologize to victims of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests.

About Marcel

"Marcel is a graduate of the University of Amsterdam and joined Reuters in 1986. He was based in the Netherlands, Britain, Switzerland and France while also reporting from China, Japan, U.S., Portugal, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Luxemburg, Spain and Turkey.
An amateur chef in the kitchen and chief at work, he keeps fit with Swedish gym (Friskis & Svettis) and relaxes by reading."